Red Ribbon Androids
The Red Ribbon Androids (レッドリボン軍人造人間, Reddo Ribon Gun Jinzōningen; lit. "Red Ribbon Artificial Humans")Dragon Ball chapter 340, "The Red Ribbon Androids" are various Androids and Cyborgs developed by Dr. Gero and other scientists for the Red Ribbon Army, as well as following the defeat of the army in order to avenge the army's destruction at the hands of Goku. Overview ")]] Dr. Gero built Androids because mechs can be captured and used by the enemy while Androids can think for themselves. 1-7 and 9-12 were completely artificial, but Gero could not control their personalities: too dark, too stupid, too nice, etc."Dragon Ball Q&A 7" section, Dragon Ball Full Color Androids Saga volume 1, 2014 So he destroyed them. Dr. Gero's process of turning a human into an android completely halts their aging, thus making the cyborg immune to at least natural death/illness.Dragon Ball chapter 349, "The Androids Awake!"Dragon Ball Z episode 133, "Nightmare Comes True" Gero eventually decided to turn himself into Android 20 in order to become immortal."Yes. Now I have eternal life like you." - Dr. Gero, Dragon Ball Z episode 133, "Nightmare Comes True" Red Ribbon Androids 13 through to 21 all wear loop earrings. In the anime, Android 19 often flicks one of his earrings before attacking. Android 13 and Android 17 also do this once, against Piccolo. Super 17 does this while searching for Goku once during their fight in Dragon Ball GT as well. Future Trunks notes that the Android 17 and Android 18 of his timeline, while much stronger than him, are not as strong as the ones seen in the main timeline. This may be due to the fact that Dr. Gero's remote tracking device gathers information later on that notes Goku's strength. In the main timeline, Goku is considerably stronger before his death in Future Trunks' timeline, as he spends three years in training. This also helps to highlight the main timeline androids' difference in mentality from the sociopaths of his timeline, as they can have laid waste to the others and to the world with even more harrowing dominance if they had want to. Many years later, in Dragon Ball Super when Future Trunks encounters Android 18 again, he still thinks she is evil while the latter is being gentle and friendly to him, unlike their last encounter many years prior, going as far as giving him a friendly fist bump in the chest, while he still remained a bit hostile and fearful towards her at first, but, after a brief talk about Future 18's destruction and Present 18 joking that Future Trunks must reimburse her for the deed he committed, and, seeing Android 18 with her daughter and family, he finally realized the difference between his and this timeline's Androids, and found out, to his surprise and antonishment, that an "android" like her could have an offspring, although he never encountered #17 for at least once. Future Trunks later told his present counterpart this kind of difference between the Android 18 of his time (who killed his father, Piccolo, and even Krillin) and the Android 18 of Trunks' timeline (who married Krillin and was not the killing machine Future Trunks thinks her to be) and how cruel and evil are they, and how he destroyed the Androids of his world, to the present counterpart's shock. The Android 18 and Android 17 of the main timeline and the Future Android 18 and Future Android 17 of Future Trunks' ruined timeline seem to have differing morals, according to Future Trunks himself in Dragon Ball Z and later, in Dragon Ball Super: in Future Trunks' timeline, the duo enjoy destroying everyone and everything in sight, not caring who they hurt, while looking for a good time in the process. However, in the main timeline, Android 18 impatiently wants Android 16 to fight Goku, whereas Android 17 just wants to have fun driving around. The main timeline's trio never actually killed anyone, excluding Dr. Gero. It is implied that the Future counterparts' sociopathic natures were the result of Dr. Gero "reprogramming" them to hate humans as part of his world domination plans. in the main-timeline, Android 18 eventually marries Krillin and the couple had a daughter, Marron, while Android 17 becomes a park ranger in a royal animal preserve, and, as well as living independently, had a family of his own as well. Also, Dr. Gero has designed some of his Androids (Android 13 and Cell) with the special ability to absorb his other android creations, resulting in an android with much more power than the sum of the absorbed and absorbing androids. Androids Major Metallitron The first Red Ribbon Army android seen, he was one of the guards of the Muscle Tower. Prototype Androids Created as early test models by Dr. Gero, they are briefly seen during flashbacks of him in his laboratory and are featured as villains in the video game Dragon Ball Z: Sagas. ;Super Prototype Android A far larger and more powerful type of Prototype Android, they are capable of spawning explosive mini-androids which track foes. Androids 1 through 7 All these units have design flaws or other problems which lead to them being scrapped. They are mentioned twice during the Cell Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Android 3's capsule is briefly seen in a flashback. Android 8 A larger-sized construct, Android 8 looks like (and is modeled after) the more modern takes on Frankenstein's monster. Despite this, he has a very gentle soul and is a good person. He is deemed a failure due to this fluke in his programming. According to Akira Toriyama, Android 8 is an entirely mechanical construct, while certain guides claim that he is human-based (like 17 and 18). When Ninja Murasaki learns he cannot defeat Goku in Muscle Tower, he activates Android 8 to do his dirty work for him. However, the android refuses to fight Goku because he does not believe in violence. Murasaki threatens to activate the self-destruct mechanism in Android 8's body, but Goku saves the android from being destroyed and the two become friends afterwards, taking down Muscle Tower (as well as the Red Ribbon Army near Jingle Village) together. Android 8 still resides there to this day. Due to Dr. Gero not existing at the time of the manga, a new character called Dr. Flappe was created to be his inventor. It is generally assumed that Dr. Flappe and Dr. Gero worked together back in the days of the Red Ribbon Army. In Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, General White survives the Red Ribbon Army's destruction and around the time of the Saiyan conflict, commands a faction of Red Ribbon Army survivors which manage to rebuild Muscle Tower near Jingle Village. Android 8 goes to investigate and is captured, allowing General White to reprogram him to serve the resurgent Red Ribbon Army. Fortunately, Suno encounters Goku (who had been returned to the living with the help of Fortuneteller Baba to aid his friends and allies in searching for the Dragon Balls to revive him in time to fight Nappa and Vegeta) and informs him of the return of Muscle Tower. Goku and the Z Fighters go to Muscle Tower to find the Dragon Ball located there and prevent the army's return to power, and are confronted by General White and reprogrammed Android 8. However General White is ultimately defeated and Android 8 is freed from his control, allowing Android 8 to return to his peaceful life in Jingle Village. Androids 9 through 15 These and the androids that follow were created with the sole intention of killing Goku. However, like 1 through 7, 9 through 12 all have problems which eventually lead to them being scrapped. In the ''Dragon Ball'' manga, Android 15, Android 14, and Android 13 were close to the final Android form, but Gero still destroyed them for being faulty. However, in the parallel world, in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, a secret super computer develops these three Androids after Gero's death, releasing the trio out into the public to track down and kill Goku. Android 9 Android 9 has two different appearances depending on the media he appears in. In Dragon Ball Online, Android 9 is a mechanical version of Commander Red who is a boss of the Red Pants Army in Age 1000, he is destroyed by the Time Patrol. ;Iyo-ku-gō In Dragon Ball SD, Android 9 appears as a minion of Gero in a time around Age 750 and is an Android version of Akio Iyoku labeled as "Iyo-ku-gō" (a play on the name of the V-Jump Editor-in-Chief's name), he is defeated by Goku in one hit. Android 13 Presumably the most powerful of the three androids of the movie Super Android 13! He is able to keep up with Goku in his Super Saiyan form, he is eventually defeated, but soon catches his breath and absorbs bits and pieces of his destroyed colleagues to become Super 13. ;Super Android 13 After absorbing parts of Androids 14 and 15, the truck driver-styled redneck android transforms into a massive blue beast of unbridled power and strength. Nigh-invincible in this form, it takes the power of Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Goku absorbing to stop him. He is never seen again after his defeat. Not counting the video game franchises. Android 14 Built alongside 13 and 15, Android 14 is a large, powerful, gray-colored android. Generally the silent type, he prefers to do his talking with his fists. He is killed by Future Trunks (after becoming a Super Saiyan) and subsequently his remains are absorbed by Android 13. He is never seen again. Not counting the video game franchises. In Akira Toriyama's notes for the character this android is said to be Android 15. Android 15 Android 15 is best described as "a little man in a fancy outfit". His outfit and purple skin give him the look of a gangster, though he says little more than Android 14. A strange quirk of this android is the fact he carries and drinks from a small alcohol flask kept in his front pocket from time to time. Ultimately, he is destroyed by Super Saiyan Vegeta and absorbed by Android 13, then never heard from again. Outside of the video game franchises. In Akira Toriyama's notes for the character this android is said to be Android 14. Destroyer Destroyers are Red Ribbon Army androids who resemble the Pirate Robot. They were designed for military purposes and given thick Geromantium armor. There were several variations: Red Destroyer, Green Destroyer, Gold Destroyer, Annihilator and Death Machine. Knight Destroyer was the nastier and more powerful (yet older) model Destroyer, with one specific Knight Destroyer acting as Pilaf's Guardian. The Knight Destroyer model also had several variants, including Metal Hulk and Shadow Colossus. Android 16 Strong and silent, Android 16 stands tall as one of the doctor's largest creations. He was modeled on Gero's dead son, a high-ranking Red Ribbon soldier long ago felled by an enemy bullet. In his affection, Gero made him powerful, but did not want him to be destroyed in battle, so he made him gentle. He shares his gentle nature with Android 8, seen staring off into space, and admiring nature time and time again. He is programmed to kill Goku. His ultimate fate is to play a pivotal role in the defeat of Cell. It is his demise that inspires teenage Gohan to release his rage and push to Super Saiyan 2 form. ;Android 16 copies Android 16's design is mass-produced by the Red Pants Army, creating at least three: Android 16A, Android 16B and Android 16C. ;Perfect 16 Perfect 16 is the EX-Fusion of Android 16 and the Bio-Android Cell. He only appears in Dragon Ball Fusions. Cell The ultimate "android", Cell, is actually a combination of cells extracted from a number of sources (such as the Z Fighters and Frieza and his father). As such, he has the fighting knowledge, power, and even the moves of some of the most powerful fighters in the universe. In addition, because of the manner in which Cell is created, Cell is the only one of Dr. Gero's androids whose ki can be sensed by the Z Fighters. Coming from the future in which Android 17 and Android 18 are already dead, Cell seeks to absorb the duo in order to climb to his perfect form. Like Future 17 and Future 18 of his timeline, with the Bio-Android also coming from that timeline, Cell cares more about destroying the world than taking it over, however, unlike Future 17 and Future 18, Cell has been going as far as to attempt to destroy the solar system in a crazed attempt to defeat Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. His present form is destroyed after Trunks and Krillin destroy one of Dr. Gero's labs and Cell's embryo stage. Ultimately, Cell is killed by an enraged Gohan and sent to the Other World. In the anime, he forms a union with Frieza and his Ginyu Force, generally causing havoc and being a pest to the ogres who maintain the peace. Goku (who dies in the battle with Cell) is about to stop him, but Pikkon steps in and promptly puts Cell in his place. After that, Cell is only seen in a few cameos in Hell, and even then only in the anime. ;Cell Jr. While not created by Dr. Gero directly, after reaching his perfect form, Cell can reproduce asexually through his tail. Taking the shape of childlike, blue Cells, each Cell Jr. has vast power despite their size. Even the likes of Super Saiyan Vegeta could just barely hold their own against them. However, they don't seem to have Cell's regeneration, and they are killed in one blow each by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. They somewhat resemble the Saibamen who first appear during the Vegeta Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Android 17 The male of the twin androids, Android 17, looks like an average teenage boy wearing a casual outfit. While referred to as an "Android" he possesses no mechanical parts, and is instead a human with reconstructed organic matter. He and Android 18 are runaways who were abducted and experimented on by Dr. Gero. Because of his rebellious nature, he is considered a failed android and sealed away until Dr. Gero, in a fit of desperation, releases him and Android 18 to combat the Z Fighters. Ironically, he ends up killing Dr. Gero. After he and Android 18 finish pummeling the Z Fighters into submission on the Mountain Road, he, Android 18, and Android 16 wander off on a long and fun road trip to Goku's house. Later in the series, Android 17 becomes little more than fodder for Cell, becoming a part of Cell's very being and powering him up to his Semi-Perfect form. After Cell's defeat, he is revived and continues to wander the countryside, messing with people and having a fun time all by himself. In Dragon Ball GT, he once again plays the role of a victim, being fused together with Hell Fighter 17 to become Super 17. After Super 17's defeat, he is once again revived by the Dragon Balls and presumably goes back to aimlessly wandering. He will return in Dragon Ball Super as part of the Universe 7 team, alongside his sister, to fight in Zeno's Multiversal Tournament of Power. It is also mentioned in Dragon Ball Super that he is married and has a biological child. He also has two adopted children. ;Hell Fighter 17 Created in Hell by Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu, Hell Fighter 17 is, aside from being a Machine Mutant, an exact copy of Android 17 and is created to locate, control, and eventually fuse with the original 17 in order to create Super 17. ;Super Android 17 The fusion of Android 17 and Hell Fighter 17 is a spectacular success, yielding the large and powerful Super 17. With the power of both 17 and Hell Fighter 17, he is able to fight and defeat all of the Z Fighters, including Goku, albeit turning and killing Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu in the process, until Goku finds his weakness and destroys him for good. ;Cell 17 Cell 17 is the EX-Fusion of Android 17 and the Bio-Android Cell. He only appears in Dragon Ball Fusions. Despite the merger containing regular 17 and not Super 17, Cell 17 appears as a mix between Perfect Cell and Super 17. Android 18 after her marriage to Krillin]] Looks can be deceiving, as this beautiful young lady can be very dangerous when riled. Much like her twin brother Android 17, Android 18 is too rebellious to be controlled and considered a failed android. Also like 17, she was a normal, human girl until Dr. Gero experiments on her. While referred to as an "Android" she possesses no mechanical parts, and is instead a human with reconstructed organic matter. In her first appearance, she humiliates Vegeta (who had just become a Super Saiyan) and helps 17 defeat the Z Fighters before she, Android 17, and Android 16 hijack a Lucky Foods van and take a road trip to Goku's house . Later on, she is absorbed by Cell, which allows him to achieve his Perfect Form . A few days later, she is spat back out after Cell receives an extremely powerful kick to the gut from an enraged Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. After Cell is defeated by Gohan, she wanders off for a while before returning to the Z Fighters and ultimately marrying Krillin, who falls in love with her during the Cell Saga. The two also have a daughter named Marron. During Dragon Ball GT, she plays a much more subdued role, becoming one of Baby's minions during the Baby Saga as well as fighting off Super 17 later on. She will take part in Dragon Ball Super in Zeno's Tournament of Power as a fighter for Universe 7, alongside her returning brother, and husband. ;Arale 18 Arale 18 is the EX-Fusion of Android 18 and Senbei Norimaki's android daughter Arale. She only appears in Dragon Ball Fusions. Android 19 A very strange, round man of an android, Android 19 is one of two energy-absorbing models made by Dr. Gero. He was modeled after a doll decorating the command center of an enemy base, which Gero brought home as a trophy. Despite being destroyed by Super Saiyan Vegeta, he is considered a successful android given that he follows his programming to the letter and has enough power to fight on par with, and even defeat a trained Super Saiyan Goku weakened by the Heart Virus. During the Dragon Ball GT series he is seen flying from hell in the sky and destroying the city. He is later sent back to hell by Trunks and Goten. Out of all of Dr. Gero's Androids, 19 one of Dr. Gero's most loyal creations, to the point Dr. Gero was comfortable with leaving 19 in charge of Gero's conversion into Android 20. Android 20 First shown as an android, 20 is actually actually Dr. Gero as a cyborg (being half-robotic). Much like 19, he is an energy-absorbing model and also considered a success by the doctor. Long before he becomes an android, Dr. Gero is an engineer working for the Red Ribbon Army. During his time with the Red Ribbon Army, Dr. Gero suffered the loss of his son, a Red Ribbon soldier who was killed in action by an enemy bullet. It is not until Goku single-handedly takes down the entirety of the Red Ribbon that Dr. Gero focuses his attention to motives of pure revenge against him for destroying the army. As Future Trunks predicts, two androids meet the Z Fighters on the battlefield three years after Goku's return to Earth, but unlike Future Trunks' prediction, it is Gero himself and Android 19 who meet them, rather than Android 17 and Android 18. Ultimately, Dr. Gero is destroyed by Android 17 and ends up in Hell with his other creation, Cell, who was defeated by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan during the Cell Games. In the Nintendo DS game Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2, after Future Cell's defeat and long after Future Dr. Gero's death, his Super Computer creates a copy of Android 20 to use as a body in order to fight Teen Gohan and Future Trunks. It also creates two other copies of Android 20 as part of its Dr. Gero Corps. Dragon Ball GT introduces a new doctor, Dr. Myuu. After Dr. Myuu's defeat at the hands of Goku, Trunks, and Pan, Dr. Myuu and Dr. Gero team up to get revenge on them by creating Hell Fighter 17 (and eventually Super 17). After a complicated series of events, Myuu and Gero escape Hell only to be killed again by Super 17, much to their surprise. In Dragon Ball Online, Dr. Gero/Android 20 is revived as a clone and serves as a member of the Red Pants Army. Unlike the original Dr. Gero, his clone lacks any attachment to Dr. Gero's son as he mass-produces copies of Android 16 which the original Dr. Gero's feelings for his son prevented him from bearing the thought of Android 16 who was modeled after his son being destroyed, while the clone has no problem sending his Android 16 copies to confront the Time Patrol. ;Enhanced Remodel In Dragon Ball Heroes only, Gero appears as "Enhanced Remodel" Android 20. This variant of No. 20 is capable of fully controlling other androids, notably Nos. 16 through 18. Clone Frieza Using Frieza's cells Gero created a modified clone of Frieza as a secret special project. In Gero's scenario in Supersonic Warriors he activated the clone of Frieza to fight the Saiyans. In Dragon Ball FighterZ Android 21 created numerous Clone Friezas. ;Modified (Mecha Frieza) The clone of Frieza created by Gero was modified into Mecha Frieza to increase his power. Android 21 A female new type Android created by Gero and completed by his supercomputer. Initially being a Human-type Earthling, the cells of countless researchers, the Z Fighters, Frieza, Cell and the good and evil Majin Buu's were added to her overtime. She is a busty scientist with glasses and long bushy brown hair. She is a good person, but the addition of Majin Buu's cells caused her to develop a split personality. Android 21 appears in Dragon Ball FighterZ. In the Android 21 Arc, she splits into two, a good half and evil half. Clones Clone}} Fast grown mindless dark clones of numerous powerful warriors created by Android 21. They are weaker than the originals. Android 33 An Earthling Android in Dragon Ball Fusions, who was created from Dr. Gero's villain database. He resembles Android 20 in basic design though with the addition of thick-lips and a lack of facial hair and an exposed brain case (like 19 and 20). Though he was created to be evil, he is actually just a thick-lipped person who is surprisingly nice. He can be recruited by Tekka's team by defeating him in battle with a Zenkai Attack. He is capable of absorbing Ki-based attacks like Android 19 and 20. He can also use ki-based techniques such as Infinity Bullet, Energy Blade, and Hell Flash. Android 44 An Earthling Android in Dragon Ball Fusions, who was created from Dr. Gero's villain database. He resembles a cross between Android 20 and Android 16 though with black hair and an exposed brain case. Though he was created to be evil, he only acts evil and is actually quite a nice person. He can be recruited by Tekka's team by defeating him in battle with a Zenkai Attack. He is capable of draining an opponent's health via his Energy Drain and Super Energy Drain techniques and is equipped with an Android Barrier. Android 55 An Earthling Android in Dragon Ball Fusions, who was created from Dr. Gero's villain database. He somewhat resembles Android 44, though more evil looking in appearance and where's darker clothing. Though he was created to be evil, he only looks evil and is quite a nice person. He can be recruited by Tekka's team by defeating him in battle with a Zenkai Attack. He is capable of using various Android techniques such as Rocket Punch, Hell Flash, and Energy Wave Absorption. Android 76 A Namekian Android created from Dr. Gero's villain database who somewhat resembles Android 16 who appears in Dragon Ball Fusions. Though he was created to be an evil Android, he inherited the good nature of his Namekian kinfolk and has a nice personality like Android 16 and Android 8. He can be recruited by Tekka's team by defeating him in battle with a Zenkai Attack. Due to his cybernetics, Android 76 can use techniques such as the Rocket Punch and Energy Wave Absorption along with his Namekian abilities such as Regeneration. It is unclear if Android 76 is a Namekian clone created by Dr. Gero (presumably using Piccolo's DNA) who was then converted into an android or a completely artificial Android who's design was based on Namekian physiology (or to put it simply an Artificial Namekian). Android 8000 A highly advanced variant of Android 8, utilized by the Time Breakers. Android 8000 comes in several different models including Android 8000 Mk. II and Android 8000 MX. Android 19000 A highly advanced variant of Android 19, built by the revived Gero and utilized by the Time Breakers. Unlike the Androids of the Red Ribbon line, No. 19000 lacks the Red Ribbon logo, only possessing the Time Breaker one, however they do appear aiding the Red Pants Army, working under Dr. Gero. Fusions Android 35 The hypothetical Potara Fusion of Androids 17 and 18 that was considered a possible fighter in the Tournament of Power, but the idea was shot down. Android 1617 Android 1617 is the EX-Fusion of Android 16 and Android 17 appearing in Dragon Ball Fusions. Android 1718 Android 1718 is the EX-Fusion of Android 17 and Android 18 appearing in Dragon Ball Fusions. Android 1920 Android 1920 is the EX-Fusion of Android 19 and Android 20 that first appeared in Dragon Ball Fusions. Team attacks *Accel Dance (18 & 17) *Non-stop Violence (18 & 17) *Hell Spiral (18, 17, 16) *Combined Energy Ball (15 & 14) *Energy Squall (15 & 14) *Twin Drain (Gero & Cell) *Cell Junior Dance (Cell & Cell Jrs.) *Absolute Evil (Cell & Frieza, or Frieza, Cell, Super Buu) *Hell's Buster (Cell & Frieza) *Fusion (Android 17 & Hell Fighter 17) **EX-Fusion **Five-Way Fusion Tournaments *Cell Games Conflicts *Android conflict *Majin Buu conflict (18 and 17 only) *Tournament of Power (18 and 17 only) Trivia *Most androids (and Cell's Semi-Perfect form) introduced in Dragon Ball Z are shown to have clear light blue eyes, almost white, however, with some exceptions, for example, Android 18's eyes are a darker (in some scenes light), shade of blue in the Majin Buu arc compared to their appearance in the Androids and Cell arcs. Cell's Imperfect and Perfect forms' irises are pink, rather than the standard blue, Android 15 had mechanical "eyes", and lastly, Android 8 only possessed black eyes as opposed to the usual blue. *Interestingly, even though Android 13, 14, and 15 are not featured in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga, the "Androids A-B-C's" section mentions that Androids 13, 14, and 15 are very close to the Android concept. *In the series, shortly before 17 killed Dr. Gero, 18 told him "You destroyed all the other androids up to 15", the manga's Android A-B-C also noted that they were destroyed. In Super Android 13!, Dr. Gero clearly did not destroy 13, 14, and 15, as they are the main villains, and instead kept them around - though this can be explained as being due to the events of this movie occurring in a parallel world according to Daizenshuu 6. *The Pirate Robot encountered in the Pirate Cave in the Dragon Ball episode "The Trap is Sprung" has the number '2' painted on both of its legs. However, since this is apparently the Red Ribbon Army's first venture into the cave and they appear to have no knowledge of the robot, it seems highly unlikely that this is the Android 2 that Dr. Gero created. Still, the Pirate Robot bares resemblance to a failed project, possibly Android 3, which hangs strung above what is the third android's laboratory pod in a scene during Future Trunks' telling of Dr. Gero's plot in Dragon Ball Z. Gallery References Site Navigation Category:Androids Category:Characters Category:Characters who cannot die of natural causes Category:Dragon Ball Category:Cyborgs Category:Dragon Ball Z Category:Dragon Ball GT Category:Factions Category:Families Category:Lists Category:Red Ribbon Army Category:Villains Category:Dragon Ball Super Category:Characters who can fly